1. Field of the Invention
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-196656, filed Jul. 2, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a bumper mounting structure for mounting a bumper onto a fender panel via a bumper spacer.
2. Description of Related Art
Technology relating to a bumper mounting structure that enables a bumper to be mounted onto a fender panel via a bumper spacer exists in which a side plate mounting hole is formed in a side plate portion of a fender panel that faces an inward surface in the vehicle transverse direction of the bumper, and a sideways protruding portion is formed in a bumper spacer, and the bumper spacer is fitted via the sideways protruding portion thereof in the side plate mounting hole of the fender panel. Subsequently, the bumper is fitted in the bumper spacer, and the bumper is then bolted onto the bumper spacer (see Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2003-11752).
In a structure that fits a sideways protruding portion of a bumper spacer in a side plate mounting hole in a fender panel such as that described above, the accuracy of the mounting of the bumper spacer in the fender panel is insufficient. Consequently, in order to further improve this mounting accuracy, it is effective if, in addition to the above structure, a bumper spacer is also mounted on a bottom plate portion that forms a line of partition between the fender panel and the bumper. In this case, because the direction in which the bumper spacer is fitted to the side plate portion of the fender panel and the direction in which the bumper spacer is fitted to the bottom plate portion of the fender panel are different, in order to avoid interference, it is necessary for a grommet, which is a separate component, to firstly be mounted in the mounting hole in the bottom plate of the fender panel, and for the sideway protruding portion of the bumper spacer to then be fitted into the side plate mounting hole in the fender panel. The bumper spacer is then mounted in the bottom plate mounting hole in the bottom plate portion of the fender panel using a grommet pin or the like.
However, in the above described method, it is necessary for a grommet to be mounted in the bottom plate mounting hole in the fender panel, so that the problem arises that the task of performing this mounting becomes complex. Moreover, when the sideway protruding portion of the bumper spacer is being fitted in the side plate mounting hole in the fender panel, the bumper spacer obstructs the line of sight of the operator, which also increases the complexity of the mounting operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bumper mounting structure that enables a bumper spacer to be mounted accurately and easily on a fender panel.